February 18, 2008 — The Sun’s transit of your sign these past few weeks has opened both your eyes and your mind and given you a lot of new ideas. One of those ideas is destined to make you a fortune and if you have not yet worked out which one it is you will do so over the next 24 hours. It is okay to be rich.

My horoscope as read from the page that is torn out daily from the NY Post and pinned up in my favorite coffee shop. I smiled as I was reading it and the guy warming my soy milk laughed and gave me the look that means “it’s just a horoscope…but it’s probably true…but not really…”, which is the look that I always give to people reading horoscopes. This time, however, I let my smile change to a smugness and I sipped at the most delicious coffee in Brooklyn and headed home to make a soundproof curtain for our hallway to keep the Puerto Ricans out.

It might help that it is blissfully warm and calm outside today, but I think that even if it was hailing up a storm things would still be pretty much perfect. I am exceptionally happy.

The first month of the year is over and so at last I can begin 2008. Don’t ask why January doesn’t count, it just doesn’t.

A recap on wonderful things at the moment.

I have a KitchenAid. And not just any KitchenAid. I have a heart achingly red, shiny, artisan KitchenAid.

It was a Christmas gift from Matt, but due to us only moving out of the apartment-from-hell on the 15th, I decided to keep it boxed up until we were finally settled. It came out of its box this week! My first project was to make bread. I haven’t made bread since I was a kid. My mum and I used to bake it together. Mostly she would do all the complicated yeast related stuff and then I would plait the dough into pretty shapes or make rolls shaped like puppy heads. So, this was really my first attempt at making bread solo, and I can tell you, it’s rather intimidating! I mixed together a recipe with things that I remembered my mum saying (stuff about less sugar and oil and stuff). My mixer honestly puurrrrrs when I use it. Keiko is mildly confused by it, but she’s content to snuffle around at any dropped foods and so tolerates it. Anyway, I decided to make rolls and was ecstatic at how well they turned out. Sure, they’re no threat to Balthazar but I was pleasantly satisfied. Light and fluffy. Golden. Yum.

Other great things:

My sewing machine arrived!!! It was a birthday gift from my family and I LOVE it. I hunted for the perfect machine with rather a lot of help from Cristalle and I eventually found what I thought would be it…

A Brother EX660. I have to be honest and say, first of all, I really wanted a Husqvarna and not only because they also make badass motorcycles but also because they make the best machines. In my limited opinion. Secondly, a large percentage of my final decision on buying this specific machine was made because it is pink. Mmmhmmm. Pink. Not all over girly crazy pink. But just a touch. Perfect.

To review this machine for anyone out there who is thinking of buying one, I think it’s amazing! I will give a more thorough breakdown of it all when I have used it more, but I am happily half way through a new dog bed, mouse pad and place mat after just one day of sewing! Photos will follow when I’m finished!

Possibly most awesome thing however, is our new apartment. It’s in Brooklyn. Small. Cute. And jam packed full of Cath Kidston stuffs and vintage Pyrex. Oh my. There’s a window ledge that’s the perfect size for Keiko, so she sits and watches the birds and the squirrels on the fire escape whilst I job hunt and play games.

I’m not sure if life gets much better. Now I just need to find my camera cables and get some photos up!